Boot-black stand.



E. W. PURVES.

BOOT BLACK STAND.

veplmloe'rlon rILED 1211.29, 1910.

" 970,265. Patented sept; 13,1910.

EDWARD w. rimvns, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BOOT-BLACK STAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

Application filed April 29, 1910. Serial No. 558,365.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD WV. PURVES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in IBoot-Black Stands, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in boot-black stands and has for its object the provision of a device of that kind having a foot-plate provided with a pair of oppositely disposed and yieldingly held gripping members adapted to bind on the opposite sides of the sole of a shoe, so that movement of the shoe will be positively prevented `during the operation of cleaning and polishing the same.

Another object is the provision of a means for operating the gripping members to move outwardly from engagement with the sole of the shoe after the polishing operation has been performed and before the clamps engage with the shoe, the said operating means being positioned so as not to engage with the hands of the operator during the operation of cleaning and polishing the shoe.

With these and other ob]ects in view, which will more fully hereinafter appear, the present invention consists in certain novel details of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claim; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of the device may be made, within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the speciication;-Figure 1 is a plan view of a stand provided with my improved device. Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a contracted side elevation of the device.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout.

rIhe stand includes in its construction a shank designated by the numeral 5, and one end of which is provided with outwardly extending plates 6 and 7 designed to be secured to a suitable support. The opposite end of the shank terminates in a foot-plate designated in general by the numeral 8. The contour of the foot-plate is similar to devices of this character, at the toe end of the said foot-plate, however, the latter is somewhat thickened and substantially rectangular in contour and cross section, as shown at 9. Formed in the upper face of the thickened portion are a pair of spaced transverse grooves or channels 10 and 11, the function of which will appear later.

The attachment forming one part of the subject matterl of the present invention is shown to include a channeled plate corresponding to the length and width of the portion 9, the bearing surface of said plate heilig designated by the numeral 1Q and the opposite sides thereof' by the numerals 13 and 111-. The space between the opposite sides 13 and 14 corresponds approximately to the distance between the opposite sides of the portion 9, so that when the parts are properly positioned the said channeled plate will straddle the portion 9, and be secured thereto by means of screws 15, the said screws being insertible through oppositely extending perforated lugs formed on the opposite ends of the portion l2 of the plate, the openings in said lugs alining with similaiopenings formed in the foot-plate 8.

'lhe gripping members are each shown to include a shank portion designated by the numeral 1G, one end of which terminates in an enlarged bifurcated head 17, the said head having projecting from one side thereof a gripping jaw 18, the inner surface of which is provided with serrations 19. Positioned in the bifurcated portion of the head 17 is a T-shaped handle Q0, the same being secured by means of a pivot pin passing through an opening in the vertical portion of the handleand through alining openings formed in the bifurcations of said head.

The shanks are carried by the sides 13 and 100 llt and are slidingly fitted in openings formed in the said sides, and are parallel with each other, the openings in the sides being considerably less in diameter than the enlarged heads 17, so that these heads form 105 stops to limit inward movement of the Shanks. Encirclmg each of the Shanks 16 is a helical compression spring 21, one end of which bears on a collar 23 secured against displacement on the free end of the shank 110 by means of a cotter pin 24, the opposite end of said spring bearing on the inner face of one of the sides.

The dimensions of the springs are somewhat less than the transverse grooves or channels l0 and 11, so that when the plate is properly positioned on the foot-plate as before described the springs and shanks will be arranged in the channels. When it is understood that the jaws 18 eXtend upwardly and above the portion 12 of the plate, it will be evident when the gripping members are pulled outwardly by means of the handles 2O that the springs 2l will be tensioned so that when the handles are released after a shoe has been positioned on the foot-plate the y jaws will move into engagement with the opposite sides of the sole and the teeth 19 be embedded therein, whereby movement of the shoe will be positively prevented.

It will be observed when the jaws are released that the handles will extend vertically downward and out of the path of movement of the operators hands during the cleaning and polishing operation.

From the foregoing, it is evident that I have provided a device which is comparatively simple lin structure and inexpensive in manufacture, embodying few parts and these so arranged that the danger of derangement will be reduced to a minimum.

I claimr- In a shoe-polishing stand the combination with a foot-plate provided adjacent to the toe end thereof with spaced transverse grooves; of a chaneled plate to straddle the toe endportion of the foot-plate, gripping members carried by the said channeled plate having port-ions arranged in the said grooves, said gripping members being yieldingly held against outward movement from the channeled plate and provided on their outer ends with pivoted handles.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD l/V. PURVES. Witnesses ALFRED ELKINS, JOSEPH MULHoLLAND. 

